Spate · Slate · West Wales / Ceredigion, GB-WLS

Teifi

The River Teifi viewed westward from Newcastle Emlyn bridge, the green valley and tree-lined banks stretching away.

Classic West Wales salmon and sewin river with historic coracle fishing tradition.

Tomorrow · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
75% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.91 m
Water temp7.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather4°C
WindN 24 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent2.9 mm
Rain · ahead8.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Sea Trout
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 8–15°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Sea Trout
When
June through September; July into August prime. Night fishing from full dark when water rises above 13°C. NRW classifies the sewin stock 'At Risk' across Wales — fish carefully if at all, treat C&R as a default. A good spate in July or August can still produce — runs are condition-led.
Where
Lower and middle Teifi pool tails through to the Cardigan tidal limit.
Method
Across-and-down on a floating line with small wets — Medicine, Teal Blue and Silver, Stoat's Tail. Steady swing through the tail-outs, never hurry.
Kit
10 ft #6/7, floating line, 8 to 10 lb fluoro tippet. Spare leader on a wrist spool. Headlamp sparingly; let your eyes adjust.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 68%
Also:Black Midge29%Autumn Olive22%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · November highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Sea Trout fly box

Shrimp patterns — fished swing, wet_fly_swing

BS
Black & Silver TubeTop
1–2 inch · Tube
In deep pools and dark water, silhouette and contrast do the work colour cannot. A fly that reads as black against depth is enough. Fish it broadside, hold the swing, let it hang at the dangle — that is when the best fish take.
Medicine Fly
Medicine Fly
8–12 · Streamer
Slim and mobile — fished sunk through the pool when surface work is not producing. Consistently takes fish that will not come to the surface.
Beats · 3
Middle Teifi — Llandysul Angling AssociationAccess varies
The Teifi is the longest river to rise and meet the sea wholly within Wales and reports more salmon caught than any other Welsh river.
Visit official site ↗
Lower Teifi — Teifi Trout Association (Llechryd to Henllan)Access varies
The Teifi Trout Association, founded in 1925, holds over twenty miles of the lower Teifi between Llechryd Bridge and Henllan.
Visit official site ↗
Pontarddulais AA Teifi — day ticket via Fishing PassportAccess varies
About a mile of middle-Teifi right bank below Lampeter, controlled by Pontarddulais AA.
Visit official site ↗
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Aeron
23 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Nevern
33 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Towy (Tywi)
35 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Cothi
18 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Taf
32 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 6
  1. The River Teifi viewed westward from Newcastle Emlyn bridge, the green valley and tree-lined banks stretching away.
    The River Teifi at Newcastle Emlyn
  2. Cenarth Falls on the River Teifi with the historic water mill on the far bank, the river rushing white over ledges.
    Cenarth Falls, River Teifi
  3. The River Teifi flowing through a wooded gorge below Cilgerran, steep tree-lined banks reflected in dark water.
    River Teifi below Cilgerran
  4. Sweeping meanders of the Teifi near Newcastle Emlyn in winter spate, wide and dark between alder-lined banks.
    Bends in the Teifi, Newcastle Emlyn
  5. The River Teifi at Llandysul showing rocky rapids and bankside vegetation between Llandysul and Pontwelly.
    River Teifi at Llandysul
  6. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Salmon from spring through autumn; sea trout (sewin) from June onwards with excellent summer runs. The Teifi is a spate river — fish it on fresh water after rain with sinking-tip line and medium tubes for salmon, smaller wet flies for sea trout. Good brown trout in the upper reaches. Newcastle Emlyn and Cenarth Falls are well-known productive beats. Responsive in 6 hours; fish the drop. Slate and schist bedrock underlie this river. Atlantic salmon are under serious conservation pressure — Natural Resources Wales mandates catch-and-release for salmon on all rivers, so all fish must be returned.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), primarily nocturnal

  • Slate
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

NRW WFD Cycle 3 — Teifi (Afon Clettwr to Afon Ceri): Good ecological status; the Llandysul/Newcastle Emlyn middle beats. Corrected 2026-06-18 from an Arberth-tributary tag (was recorded Moderate). Source: NRW DataMapWales WFD Cycle 3 classification layer.

NRW (Wales) · GB110062043564

The full read · show the working · for Sea Trout · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 April → 17 October
  • Trout 3 March → 30 September

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — NRW At Risk classification. The Teifi holds sewin but stocks have declined across the wider West Wales catchment. Runs are condition-led — a good spate in June or July can produce excellent night fishing; a dry summer is a write-off. Historic coracle fishing tradition on sewin; the modern fishery demands catch-and-release discipline.

Salmon: Negligible (2026) — NRW / EA 2024 Salmon Stocks Assessment classifies this Welsh principal salmon river 'at risk' — egg deposition below Conservation Limit. All Wales byelaws (in force 2020-2030) make catch & release mandatory. Conservation priority; not a salmon fishing destination. The Teifi remains a famous fly fishing river but salmon are scarce.

Related guides
Yorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methodsEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts
Boards & regulators
At a glance

Teifi is a spate river in West Wales / Ceredigion. The catchment geology is recorded as slate, and the water sits at about 110 m above sea level. The river is described as roughly 122 km long. Species listed for this water: brown trout, salmon and sea trout. It is classed as a salmon river. The salmon season is recorded as running from 1 April to 17 October. The trout season is recorded as running from 3 March to 30 September. Best window recorded for anglers: April–June (spring), August–October (autumn). Core methods listed: small double (salmon); upstream nymph; spate techniques. Level and flow data for this water is linked from 3 gauges. Its Water Framework Directive ecological status is recorded as good. Nearby waters in our listings include Cothi at 18 km, Aeron at 23 km and River Taf at 32 km.